Michael Douglas Was Honoured With The $2 Million (£1.25 Million) Genesis Prize For His Contributions To Jewish Culture At A Star-studded Ceremony In Jerusalem, Israel On Thursday Night (18jun15).
The veteran actor was presented with the second annual accolade from members of the Genesis Philanthropic Group, an organisation of Russian-speaking Jews building links between Israel and the faithful living abroad.
The recipient of the Genesis Prize is usually awarded $1 million (£625,000), but a gift from an anonymous donor doubled the prize this year (15), and Douglas is to donate the cash to several of his favourite Jewish organisations.
Ironically, while the Oscar winner's father, Kirk Douglas, is Jewish, his mother is not, and according to Jewish law, he is not considered a member of the faith. However, Douglas took his family, including wife Catherine Zeta-Jones and their children Dylan and Carys, to Israel last year (14) to celebrate Dylan's bar mitzvah, and it was then that the actor was inspired to go back to his roots and embrace Judaism.
Douglas brought his entire family back to Israel for his big night, and during his acceptance speech, he said, "Inclusiveness and tolerance are Jewish values, too. I strongly believe that Judaism should reflect the spirit of welcome and tradition that existed in Abraham's tent."
Throughout the night, Douglas' acting career was lauded, and his work as a peace activist and advocate for nuclear disarmament was also highlighted.
Comedian and emcee for the night, Jay Leno, led the tributes to the actor, and a video tribute featured Douglas' friends Danny DeVito and Barbra Streisand and his father.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also took the stage and praised both Douglas and his actress wife, saying, "To borrow a phrase from one of your father's movies, you two cast a giant shadow over your profession and set a standard for all actors to follow."
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